1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer security and more specifically to allow the secure transfer and receipt of data between computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to securely transfer data between computers on the Internet, various different types of encryption/decryption methods are used. One way of securely transferring data over the Internet includes the use of a public key/private key system.
A public key is provided by some designated authority as a key that, combined with a private key derived from the public key, can be used to effectively encrypt and decrypt messages and digital signatures.
In public key cryptography, a public and private key are created simultaneously using the same algorithm (a popular one is known as RSA) by a certificate authority. The private key is given only to the requesting party and the public key is made publicly available (as part of a digital certificate) in a directory that all parties can access. The private key is never shared with anyone or sent across the Internet. The private key is used to decrypt text that has been encrypted with the public key counterpart by someone else who has the public key.
Public key cryptography generally requires a large mathematical decomposition in order to work effectively. Generally, the length of a private key is in the order of 64 bytes. Decomposing these relatively small private keys requires considerable computational power. Public key cryptography is generally used as a one-way encryption and if a private key is changed, then everyone else that has the public key counterpart must receive a new public key.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system and method of securing data that is easy to use, does not require a public/private key, allows for a larger private key for more security, uses less computation power than public key cryptography, and can be used in two directions.